I'm not sure how much difference there really is among the laptops. But one thing I'd suggest if you want it to last for a few years - max out the HD and RAM that's available. It'll be running Windows Vista (unless you go Mac) so you may as well get one with absolutely no less than 2 GB RAM and double or more if you can.

My wife uses an HP that's pretty much maxed out that was around $750. Got it at Best Buy during one of those "no interest for 12 months" sales. It's 17", has wireless, webcam, dvd burner and stuff like that. She's been happy with it but rarely does more than surf the web.

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"I like David Bowie, he was always my favorite member of Tin Machine."- Rodney Anonymous

We have an HP laptop as well. I like the wide screen. Don't recall what we paid, but it was reasonable. I ditto the comment about maximizing RAM and hard drive.

Our kids use our laptop to do homework assignments and stuff, but it is connected to our wireless network so they can print and to their research on the internet. They are 10 and 12. What I'm getting at, is be sure to consider what hardware/software you need to connect to the internet and printer, if that is going to be her use. When my kids have social studies type of projects, they/we use the internet to do the research, and we use it for that more than I ever would have thought.

For just printing, she can use a flash drive and plug it into the main computer and print that way.

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Looks like you've been missing a lot of work lately. I wouldn't say I've been *missing* it, Bob.

If you want to go budget PC, Acer isn't too bad, and quite inexpensive. Sony makes nice things, but their laptops are pretty pricey. You can get good deals on Dell's, and they offer the best customization online. You can basically build the computer that fits your needs and budget. I currently have a Toshiba, and probably wouldn't get another one. Its got some nice features, but some really annoying ones too. HP is a respectable company, that will be priced a little less that the Sony's, but more than budget brands, and on par with Toshiba's.

Computers are like cell phones. Whats cutting edge now, is ancient 6 months to year from now. So, if you want to get something that will still be relevant for awhile, get the best processor you can for what you want to spend. Something that's relatively quick, and can handle multiple applications simultaneously. Definitely get RAM and memory, but remember you can can add more later. I'm sure you can score a great deal on a decent machine.

So, if you want to get something that will still be relevant for awhile, get the best processor you can for what you want to spend. Something that's relatively quick, and can handle multiple applications simultaneously. Definitely get RAM and memory, but remember you can can add more later. I'm sure you can score a great deal on a decent machine.

Completely left out the processor. These days the PC based processors are dual-core, triple-core or quad-core which basically allows 2, 3 or 4 things to execute "simultaneously." So if a quad-core is only 50 bucks more than a dual core then get it. If it's $300 more then you're at the wrong store.

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"I like David Bowie, he was always my favorite member of Tin Machine."- Rodney Anonymous